Five Columbia Rowers to Compete at 2012 Under 23 World Rowing Championships

NEW YORK - Columbia rowing will once again be well represented at the World Rowing Under-23 Championships with the Lions sending five athletes to Linz, Austria for the competition being held from July 24-28.

After another successful season, the lightweights will have rising sophomore Oliver Ingram and incoming first-year Max Fenner join forces in the Lightweight Quadruple Sculls Regatta.

Ingram was a solid contributor in the Lions’ second varsity eight boat during the 2012-13 campaign and Fenner is an accomplished oarsman, winning several German rowing titles, including first place in the lightweight single at the Berlin Regional Championships.

Since the Championships are self-funded, the crew has set up a fundraising website. Click here to visit the team’s page.

Two members of the class of 2013, Samantha Warren and Nikki Bourassa, will also take to the water for Team USA, but in different events. Warren, making her second-straight appearance at the U23’s, will race with the open-weight fours, while Bourassa will sit in a lightweight quad boat.

Warren and Bourassa were staples of the varsity eight last season and helped the women’s team to its finest season in program history. Warren was a CRCA All-American and Bourassa picked up Mid-Atlantic Regional honors.

Rising senior Ben Coombs from the heavyweight squad is making his second appearance for Australia and will take part in the men’s coxed four event.